LDV Winery’s award-winning wines are a direct reflection of the unique high altitude terroir in the Chiricahua Mountain foothills in southeastern Arizona. Our monthly blog From Vineyard to Table shares how we celebrate the spirit of place through LDV’s sustainable practices, entertaining approach, food & wine pairings (including original recipes), and winemaking techniques. Wine Tip Wednesday provides you with easy to apply tips to expand your wine and food enjoyment that we have been employing for years. Share your wine tips with us!

Some vegetables are difficult to pair with wine, such as asparagus. However, if they are in a pasta dish, think about the sauce or other vegetables and focus on those for the pairing. Here are a few more tips:

1. Vertical of Estate Wines – Estate wines celebrate a sense of place or terroir. Wine produced from Mount Veeder in Napa Valley or Burgundy, France produce wines with distinctive characteristics no matter the winemaker. Finding a unique area & tasting that sense of place in a glass is one of our favorite things. Consider LDV’s 2013 & 2014 The Signature Petite Sirahs.

Did you know that Grenache is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world? Most acres are in Spain and France. Here are 5 more facts to entice you to discover this versatile grape varietal.

1. Grenache flourishes in Arizona because it loves warm weather. It is a sun bunny. Arizona wine country’s weather is similar to the south of France and Spain where it grows well.

2. It pairs well with different types of food. It can stand up to strong flavors or complement without overpowering a delicate dish.

3. The flavor profiles include red fruit such as cherries, red currant, raspberries, and rhubarb and a finish of white pepper.

4. The sun interacting with the grape skins can throw off a brown tinge to the wine. Don’t be put off by the color.

5. Around the world this grape varietal is used as a base grape in wine blends such as a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre) and is the dominant grape in the world renowned Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone wines of southern France.

Five tips to pairing wine with chocolate. Why is it an interesting pairing? Both chocolate and wine have different levels of tannins.

1. Darker the chocolate the bolder the tannins. Try to compliment tannin structure between the chocolate and wine. Big tannic Petite Sirah with a dark chocolate.

2. Consider the intensity of both the chocolate and wine. Lighter milk chocolate pairs with lighter red wines like a Grenache. A bittersweet chocolate pairs well with a more tannic wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Petite Sirah.

3. The chocolate’s creaminess should be considered when thinking about the wine pairing. White chocolate is a bit more creamy or buttery than many darker chocolates so go with a Viognier.

1. It’s an American holiday, choose American wine! Better yet choose Arizona wines. Our go-to wine is a Grenache. The ripe berries and soft tannins make it a perfect match for the richness of the typical turkey spread. Also consider an Oregon Pinot Noir.

2. Think About Flavor Profile. If you are putting a Southwestern spin on the meal, consider the spices when choosing the wine. Fuller-bodied white wines (California Chardonnay or an oaked LDV 2014 Viognier) can stand up to the spice & buttery mashed potatoes & gravy.

3. Bubbles. Don’t shy away from a great sparkling wine like a CA Brut Rosé that can complement the intense flavors. Or consider dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer from Washington or Oregon. The acidity can cut through the richness.

Petite Sirah is one of our favorite grapes. It does extremely well in southeastern Arizona at 5,000 feet elevation in the Chiricahua Mountain foothills. Here are 5 Petite Sirah characteristics.

1. It is a small berried grape compared to most other wine grapes which increases its skin to pulp ratio that provides a beautiful dark color. Therefore, it is used to blend into other wines to darken the color.

2. You probably had a lot of Petite Sirah in your life but didn’t know it. It so commonly blended into Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache.

4. We love Petite Sirah as a single varietal wine. It is perfect with Southwester cuisine. It has great tannin structure because of the small berry making it pair well with fattier foods like rib eye steak or braised short ribs.

5. It is not a petite type of Syrah. The two grape varietals are different.

2. Get Crafty – Put those saved corks to good use – make a cork wreath or ornaments. LDV Winery Wine Gallery has classes December 2 & 9; 11-1 PM. Call 480-664-4822. $10.00.

3. Warm Bowl of Soup – Invite friends over for Butternut Squash Soup (or pumpkin) with crusty bread and LDV Winery Viognier or Grenache. Let us know if you need a recipe.

4. Dim the Lights & Cuddle – Turn on the fireplace, put on some romantic music, make a great appetizer plate to share with someone special, & pair it with a sexy bottle of Syrah. A chunk of aged parmesan, smoked nuts, prosciutto, fig balsamic, & Italian bread with a little dark chocolate to finish.

There is a wine glass made for every type of wine. If you want to choose just one all-around good wine glass, here are 5 tips.

1. Choose a Bordeaux or Burgundy wine glass. They have a nice bowl, though the Burgundy glass has a larger bowl perfect for red wines.
They are both tall enough to allow enough wine and space to swirl the wine properly. Typically, these glasses taper nicely to allow aromas to concentrate.

2. Ensure the wine glass has enough capacity to allow at least 12 ounces of wine but never fill the glass with more than 5 ounces leaving plenty of room between the wine and glass lip to concentrate aromas and allow the wine to interact with oxygen.

3.
A thin rim provides a better mouth feel.

4. Stemless vs. stem – we suggest a stem. If holding the wine glass by the stem, there will be no fingerprints allowing the wine to be viewed clearly and your hand is not warming the wine.

5. There are a wide range of costs, choose a nice glass that fits into your budget.